The Young Grytherin
by Tessaryll Tervana
Summary: Snape has a daughter who has just started Hogwarts. Read of her experiences as the only Grytherin of history. Read of her experiences as she finds first love, and as she dances her heart out. Pairings: DMOC for now.
1. First Grytherin

**AN: this is a new version of 'The Young Gryffinclaw'. That story wasn't working right so I have changed it to this. Enjoy!**

Miralyn Zambini Snape ran over to the window looking over the Hogsmeade train station. She watched with excitement the arrival of the Hogwarts Express, on September 1st. As her father, Professor Snape, resided permanently in the castle, Professor Dumbledore had deemed it unnecessary for her to go all the way down to London to board the train. Mira was quite happy about this decision is that meant she could finish her last dance class before the new term started. Speaking of which, class was over now and she needed to get back to Hogwarts to change before her Sorting. Mira turned to go and raced through the Hogsmeade Dance Academy before running to Honeydukes to use the secret passageway back to Hogwarts. She ran through the tunnel, tripping once and earning a bruise on the knee. By the time she made it back to her rooms, she was out of breath.

Mira was also happy for her real entry into the world of Hogwarts. This meant that she would no longer be living constantly under her father's thumb, be always needed to help correct papers for Flitwick or make nasty-smelling potions with Snape. She looked forwards to her new rooms, wondering what House she would be in. Her father Severus Snape had been in Slytherin. Her mother, Annebelle Zambini had been in Ravenclaw. Mira smiled, remembering the games she had always played with her aunts and uncles. Uncle Albus had always said she would be a Gryffindor, while Aunt Minerva was all in favor of Ravenclaw. Aunt Pomona would always weakly suggest Hufflepuff, but everyone knew she didn't really mean it. And of course, her father would never hear of any House for her but Slytherin.

Mira herself didn't particularly mind which House, as long as she was with her cousin, Blaise Zambini. Moat people thought they were siblings, as they had a striking family resemblance. Most of the Wizarding World was unaware that Severus Snape had ever married, much less had a child. But while on a trip to Italy, many years before, the youngest of the Zambinis had caught his eye, and a few months later they were married and in love. Thus it was only natural that they have children. Sadly, Bellatrix Lestrange had killed Mira's mother, for no more reason than jealousy. So Mira had grown up without a mother, but not without her looks.

Annebelle Zambini had had beautiful brown wavy hair, and like all Zambinis, indigo eyes. Severus has long greasy black hair, and penetrating black eyes. Mira, being a combination of the two, had extremely long wavy black hair, and deep piercing eyes.

Mira now, upon entering her rooms, quickly brushed out her long hair and tied it up in a ponytail before throwing on her plain black Hogwarts robes. They wouldn't change color to reflect her House until the Sorting Hat had spoken. She rushed down to the Entrance Hall to see one of her best friends talking to a boy with messy black hair. Mira rushed through the muddle of first years to reach her cousin Blaise.

"Blaise! It's great to see you…"

He cut her off pointing to the Entrance Hall,

"Mira, you have to stay here and get sorted. I'm going in. I'll see you there. Ok? Just stand with all the ickle firsties."

Mira looked at the trembling 11-year olds dubiously.

"okkkkkk, right."

She waved to her cousin and prepared to enter the Great Hall for her Sorting.

As Aunt Minerva led the group into the large hall, Mira couldn't help but glance up though she had seen this familiar sight so many times. She concentrated on the Sorting Hat's song but was really just waiting for her own Sorting to begin. She was already getting a few stares and comments, just because she was so big. Well, it wasn't every year that a 15-year old was standing with the first years, about to be sorted.

Mira was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of her name.

"Miralyn Zambini Snape!"

Mira swallowed and walked forwards to sit on the stool and placed the Sorting Hat gently on her head.

_"Aha! I remember you. A Snape and Zambini. All Slytherins, but for your mother. I remember her, seems only yesterday… But now, back to business. No prejudices or wishes? Interesting. Mr. Potter had an overwhelming desire for anything but Slytherin. But you would accept any House willingly. You seem to be the one I have been waiting for. Better be…."_

Mira endured the Hat's ramblings, waiting for its pronouncement.

_"Grytherin!"_

The Slytherin and Gryffindor tables both erupted in applause, before realizing exactly what the Hat had said. Not Gryffindor, not Slytherin, but Grytherin. Mira took off the Hat, confused. She looked up at Uncle Albus who smiled happily with a twinkle in his eye. Then she heard a voice in her head

_You may sit at either table, my dear. Your robes will reflect both Houses you have been placed in, and you may switch between tables and will have a bed on each dorm. Or you may continue to live with your father in his tower._

As understanding dawned on her, Mira quickly got up and walked over to the Slytherin table, preferring to sit with her friends on the first night at least. She waited for the sorting to end before digging in to the feast in front of her. Instantly, she was bombarded by questions.

"What's a Grytherin?"

"What does it mean?"

The questions continued, on and on and on. Finally Mira stopped eating and held up her hands to stop the questions.

"First of all," she said calmly.

"There has never been someone of two Houses before. Being a Grytherin means that I can sit at either table, and have a bed in each dorm. I can be on either Quidditch team if I choose and can decide daily which house to join. And my robes will change to reflect this."

Remembering this detail, Mira looked down to see a red version of the Slytherin crest on her robes. She realized when she sat with the Gryffindors; it would probably change to a green version of the Gryffindor crest. She shrugged and went back to her meal; she knew no one could change the Sorting's Hat decision, not even Albus Dumbledore himself.


	2. First Dance

The next day, Mira knew that today was the day she ventured out into the Greater Hogwarts

After the feast, Mira made her way to the Slytherin common rooms, thinking to start her Hogwarts life in familiar territory. The Slytherins and Gryffindors adjusted well to the situation, to the surprise of everyone. There were no rude comments from either House, and both were quite protective of their unique fifth year.

Mira shied away from all the attention, she preferred to sit back and watch, not be in the middle of things. She had prepared well over the summer for all her classes, but did not feel the need to raise her hand to answer every question. She reasoned that as long as she knew the answer, which was good enough.

The first week flew by quickly until she woke up on her second Monday at Hogwarts to see everyone clustered around the House notice boards. She pushed her way through the Gryffindor crowd to see what all the fuss was about.

**New Class**

**All Houses will be having dance classes this year. Students will be selected for competitions against other schools.**

**All students, first years to seventh years must see the schedule below**

**for audition times. Students will be selected by the new dance professor, Professor Layla Lilta.**

**Students**

**Time**

**First Years**

**Monday after last class**

**Second Years**

**Tuesday after last class**

**Third Years**

**Wednesday after last class**

**Fourth Years**

**Thursday after last class**

**Fifth Years**

**Friday after last class**

**Sixth Years**

**Saturday at 4:00**

**Seventh Years**

**Sunday at 4:00**

_**This is mandatory, all students must attend**_

Mira ran to find Blaise and Draco. She burst into the Slytherin common room to see the two boys sitting calmly on the couches in front of the fire, reading. She ran over to the couches and said urgently

"Blaise! Draco! Guess what!"

The two boys, one blond and fair, one swarthy and dark, looked up.

"They've added a new class."

Draco frowned and Blaise groaned

"What is it?"

Mira's cousin asked

"It's dance!"

Mira said excitedly.

At this news, the boys sat up quite suddenly, Blaise burst into laughter and Draco merely smirked.

"This is great!" said Blaise happily.

"Now you two will finally be able to show your stuff to the whole school!"

Mira rolled her eyes,

"But what if we're not good….."

Draco cut her off before she could even finish the sentence

"Of course we're good enough. We're probably better than all the other bloody people put together!"

Mira frowned at his language but ignored it for the moment.

"Well anyway, everyone must audition and us 5th years are up on Friday after double Potions. And whoever makes the team will be told on Monday at Dinner."

Draco and Blaise nodded, and the three of them went to their dorms to get ready for dinner.

Far sooner than Mira would have liked, Friday came around. She sat nervously through Potions, hoping it would never end. Her father seemed to be in a bad mood that day, though she did know why. This was a busy time of year for him as the hospital needed new supplies of many potions for the upcoming flu season. Though the potions were quite simple to make, the quantities needed were quite large and so they took longer. This always meant that Severus Snape was usually quite short on sleep. Mira pitied her father, she usually helped him with the potions but she couldn't this year as she was going to school.

After what seemed like only a few minutes to Mira, the bell rang and all the 5th year Gryffindors and Slytherins rushed down to the first floor, meeting the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs on the way. They walked into a classroom just off the Great Hall and gasped when they saw it had been transformed into a huge and beautiful dance studio.

The year group sat down in front of the mirrors after putting their bags in the cubbies on one side of the room. They talked quietly as they waited for their new Professor.

Suddenly, the noise died down as the door slowly opened.

The lady who walked in looked nothing like a Hogwarts Professor. She was barely 5"3" tall, wore no make-up, had her brunette hair in a messy bun, and was wearing muggle dance clothes. Mira smiled, it looked like the new teacher was serious.

"Hello class. My name is Layla Lilta and I am your new dance teacher. All of you will be taking dance this year. All Fifth Years have class this same time every week. But from each House, I will be picking some dancers to compete in a special Hogwarts dance team." She looked around the room. "We will be studing all types of dance, though we will focus most on ballroom dancing. Is there anyone here who has ever danced ballroom before?"

Slowly, a few hands were raised. Draco raised his immediately and gestured for Mira to do the same. She tentatively raised her hand and Blaise smiled.

"Lovely. Can you all please come to the front?" asked their diminutive professor.

The people shyly walked forward, there were only about 8 people who had ever dance ballroom before.

"Alright, let's see what you can do. Pair off!" She clapped her hands and the eight scrambled to find a partner. Well, everyone but Mira and Draco scrambled. The two purebloods were already in position.

"Now, I will turn on some music and call out moves. If you don't know, just stop."

The dancers nodded. She pointed her wand at the magical stereo and a simple waltz started floating through the air.

"Waltz step! Box step! Single Spin! Double Spin!" She called out in quick succession, repeating the sequence many times to analyze each pair's movements. Then she pointed her wand at the stereo again and the music switched to a faster salsa. At this point, 2 couples dropped out, leaving 4 people on the floor. Draco and Mira did all the required steps, but easily with nothing special put in. They started with a basic salsa, but soon they were the only couple on the floor.

Miss Layla raised her eyebrows, curious. "Alright then. I can see you two are holding back. Here is a tango. Go for it." Then she settled back to watch the show.

And show it was. At these words, it seemed as if Draco and Mira woke up. They sped up so that their feet were moving too fast to be seen as they slipped easily into the routine they had practiced over the summer. They whirled and spun, lifted and danced until the last beat of the song where Draco brought Mira down into a very low dip.

The class was shocked. Never had they seen dancing of this caliber, especially from their fellow students!

Finally, Blaise started the clapping. He had a huge grin on his face and stood up to cheer madly. Once Miss Layla had calmed everyone down, she thanked them but asked Draco and Mira to stay behind.


	3. First Practice

Once Mira and her cousin had reached the Great Hall, he was immediately whisked off to the Slytherin table

**Hi! I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I finally got over my writer's block. So please enjoy the following chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, merely the plot they are in.**

Mira looked down shyly at the floor as the other students filed out of the room, whispering. She hated being the center of attention though she knew that Draco loved it. Her cousin Blaise was one of the last ones to leave the room pausing to pat Draco on the back and give Mira a kiss on the cheek saying "Good luck" as he left the studio.

After only a few minutes, Draco and Mira were the only ones left in the studio. Draco stood impassively, waiting for Miss. Layla to speak. Mira stood nervously, twisting her fingers until Draco caught them in his hand and shushing her with a look. Mira blushed and looked down. She had liked Draco for ages but thought he just saw her as his best friend's cousin.

But back to the matter at hand. Miss Layla flicked her wand again at the stereo and the music turned off. Then the diminutive teacher marched over to her waiting students.

"So. You two obviously already know each other, and dance with each other. How long have you been dancing?"

Mira glanced and Draco, and taking her hint, he started talking for the pair.

"Mira has been dancing since she could walk, and I have been dancing since the age of 6. We have been dancing together since we were 8. We as a couple are proficient in all kinds of ballroom and couple dancing though besides that we are both ballet dancers. Mira can dance just about anything. Jazz, tap, hip hop, lyrical, ballet, ballroom, Latin. Anything. I can dance only ballroom, Latin, and ballet."

Mira blushed and looked down while Miss Layla glanced at the pair appraisingly.

"Well. You two certainly know what you are doing on the dance floor. That routine looked practiced."

"Yes Miss. Our families are very close, we spend most of the summers together."

"That's a bonus Mira. Do you two have any other routines I can see?"

Draco looked at Mira with a question in his eyes. Mira nodded slowly and spoke up.

"Yes. We have a waltz, rumba, salsa, and the beginnings of a ballet duet. I also, well, uh…" Mira trailed off, embarrassed.

Draco chuckled at her modesty. "What she's trying to say is that that is all we have as a couple, but she has 3 other dances in her own right as a soloist."

"Well. That's very impressive. You two will probably make the team with any of those dances I'm sure. I wish I had time to see them now but I'm afraid it is now dinnertime. But I would like to see the other ballroom and Latin dances tomorrow at 1 pm sharp in here. The 6th year auditions aren't until 4 so we will have plenty of time. Is that alright?"

Mira looked at Draco for confirmation. Upon seeing it, she answered.

"That sounds fine Miss Layla. We'll be ready tomorrow at 1 o'clock."

"Good. Dismissed." And with that, Miss Layla left the studio.

Mira turned to go as well, but was pulled back roughly by Draco. "If we're performing tomorrow, then we'd better practice now. Come on." With a laugh and a flick of his wand, salsa music came on and Draco and Mira flew into the realms of dance.

The next day, Blaise pounced on his cousin as she walked out of the Gryffindor common room. "Well cuz? How'd it go?"

Mira laughed at Blaise's predictability and waved off his questions.

"Come on Mira! Spill!"

"Are you sure you're alright? You're sounding strangely feminine."

Blaise shook his head impatiently. "Whatever. Tell!" He grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Blaise, Blaise, Blaise." Drawled a masculine voice from around the corner. "I must say I agree with your lovely cousin." Remarked Draco as he walked in front of the Zambini pair. Mira blushed red at his comment and looked down.

"Yup, definitely a Gryffindor. Look at those red cheeks." Draco laughed and turned to walk beside Blaise.

Mira turned even redder, though this time in mock rage. "Don't you mock me Malfoy! I am part Slytherin too you know!"

"Malfoy? You _must_ be a Gryffindor. Since when have I been _Malfoy_?"

"Since you started acting like him!" Mira replied heatedly. Blaise merely cackled in the background.

Now Draco got confused. "But Mira. I _am _Malfoy."

"No. You're Draco. Malfoy is for when you're being a prat." Huffed Mira as she marched into the Great Hall for lunch.

Draco looked back at Blaise with a frown. "What did I do?" he asked, bewildered.

"Who knows?" his best friend answered. "Who can ever know what goes on in a woman's head?"

The two Slytherin males shrugged and walked in to get some food.

At noon precisely, Mira said goodbye to her Gryffindor friends and walked out of the Hall, heading to the dance studio. Draco, who had been watching her, attempted to follow, only to be pulled down by Blaise.

"Where do you think you're going? You haven't been listening all lunch! If I didn't know you any better, I 'd say you were daydreaming."

This caught Draco's attention. "What?"

"Yeah! You were staring at Mira like you loved her or something."

"Don't be stupid. I don't love her like that…" Draco trailed off. Do I? He asked himself. Is that why I smile when she holds my hand and feel like I'm floating when we dance? No. It can't be. I just like dancing. Right. Yes. That's all. With that little debate settled, he marched out of the Hall into the dance studio.

Inside, he smiled when he saw Mira practicing her ballet solo.

"Looking good Mira. Is that a new sequence you added?"

Mira turned around and smiled happily at Draco's entrance and comment.

"Yeah! I didn't think you'd notice. I thought the pas de boure into the balancé wasn't working so I added a double and then a pas de chat in place of the relive after the tour jeté."

"Ah. You're right. It does look much better. The pas de boure always seemed slightly rushed. Did you already warm up?"

"Of course! I wouldn't be practicing if I hadn't!"

"No. I meant for ballroom."

"Oh. No."

"Then come here." He grabbed her waist and proceeded to whip her into their tango routine from yesterday.

They finished quickly, flushed and happy as they always were after dancing. They looked around startled when they heard clapping.

"Very good. Very, very good. I'll leave you to your practicing. On Monday, when the team is announced, each couple will be asked to perform a small piece. Please put together a short waltz to show. You two will go last. Do not show off anything too difficult, save that for the final showcase."

Mira squealed with glee and jumped up and down. "Thank you so much! Thank you thank you! We'll start right away and we'll be out and done by 3:30 so you can do your auditions. Come on Drake! We've got loads to do!" She dropped his hand and ran to the corner of the studio to change out of her high tango shoes, and into her more comfortable waltzing ones.

Draco chuckled at her enthusiasm and went to the stereo to find some suitable music. Miss Layla smiled and walked out, leaving her prize students to their dancing.

**Thanks for reading! Please review, I will be attempting to get the next few chapters up pretty quickly.**


	4. First Kiss

Hello

**Hello. I got only one review for the last chapter but decided to continue any way. I am looking for a beta, either for this story or **_**Valentine's Morning**_**. Anyone interested?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, only the plot I put them in. Though Layla Lilta is mine. Anyone pick up the name reference yet?**

By 3:30, Mira was almost completely exhausted. Draco didn't want to stop; he loved the euphoric feeling that came with holding Mira. But he did know her well enough to realize when enough was enough. Through the delicate spins and footwork of their new waltz routine, he could tell she was about to collapse. Grinning, he swept her off her feet bridal style and carried her over to the corner where they had put all their stuff. Her sat down carefully and rummaged around with one hand in the pile, trying to find her leg warmers. He knew she could be quite fragile and would cramp easily.

Mira smiled and laughed lightly as Draco swung her up, however her laugh faded out as she snuggled closer to Draco's heat as he sat down. She stayed on his lap and quickly started drifting off.

Draco smirked with triumph as he located Mira's elusive leg warmers. He smirked even more when he realized which ones she had chosen for today. Because she had been dancing for such a long time and so seriously, her father had gotten her a whole new wardrobe solely for her dancing things. Then Severus had decided that such a big wardrobe needed filling so he went out and bought every little dance item possible.

Draco smirked when he realized Mira had chosen to wear the leg warmers he had given her for Christmas. As a joke, he had asked the family house elves to take a pair of Slytherin green warmers and embroider the Malfoy and Snape crests interlinked on them. He hadn't realized that they had quickly become Mira's favorite pair. Draco picked them up and slid them on Mira's slim legs admiring the interlocking crests. He loved the way they looked together. Just like Mira and I, he thought. He froze in the act of looking for her sweater. Where had that thought come from?

He was pulled from his thoughts when Mira mumbled something as she dozed. He leaned down to her what she had murmured.

"Draco…. love…. stay" she whispered quietly. So quietly he could barely make out more than a few words. But those few stunned him.

But warmed him at the same time. He had not yet realized he loved her too, but he knew he felt something for her beyond just sisterly affection. Draco smiled happily and pulled the sleeping girl closer to him. He flicked his wand to gather all their things up and deposit them in Mira's dance bag. He grabbed the bag and slowly stood up again, making sure not to wake up Mira.

He carefully made his way out of the dance studio and all the way up to his rooms. He knew that Mira hated her own dorm with all the giggling girls from each house and so she spent most of her time with Draco and Blaise in their special dorm they had paid for themselves. She even slept sometimes in a third bed they had conjured up and kept there, and slowly but surely her clothes and belongings were migrating into the dorm as well. As neither he or Blaise minded, no one had ever brought it up. He walked over to her bed after motioning for Blaise to be quiet. He lay her down and moved away. Well, tried to move away. Mira stirred and woke up as soon as he let her go. Sitting up unsteadily she whispered.

"Drake, stay please."

He glanced at Blaise who shrugged. Draco took off his shoes and lay down on the bed next to the sleepy girl. He hugged her gently and murmured into her hair

"Go to sleep Mira, I'll always be here."

She smiled contentedly and lay back down, sleep claiming her instantly. After a few minutes, Draco tried half-heartedly to get off the bed but she held on tightly every time. Instead of getting annoyed like he usually would, this made Draco happy though he made sure Blaise didn't see the delighted grin on his face.

He lay down next to Mira, wrapped his arms tight around her, and drifted into a peaceful and restful sleep. Blaise looked at the pair and decided not to wake them for dinner, leaving them to sleep instead. He walked out of the dorm not noticing the happy and peaceful looks from both occupants of the bed.

About 5 hours later, Mira woke up. At first she had no idea where she was, her last memory was being picked up by Draco. She looked around the room and relaxed realizing she was in the boys dorm. It looked to be around midnight and she slowly settled off back into sleep when the bed suddenly shifted.

She stiffened and looked over her shoulder before realizing it was only Draco. Wait, he was sleeping in the same bed as her? No matter. This was what she had always dreamed of. Being held in her sleep by the man she loved. She knew he didn't love her back and liked her in a purely platonic way, but she could dream couldn't she?

Draco stirred slightly, feeling cold. He reached out with his eyes closed and pulled Mira flush against his body. His arms tightened and he breathed a sigh of contentment before falling back asleep. Mira smiled happily at this act and slipped back into dreamland.

**(A/N: this is much harder than I thought this would be. Real writer's block problems but will plow on. Hopefully.)**

The next day the sun came up as usual and shone brightly on the pair lying on a bed in a secluded Hogwarts dormitory. Draco woke first, rubbing his eyes as he sat up slowly. He felt something beside and looked down. A soft smile broke out on his face as he saw Mira lying there, still sleeping. He sat and just watched her. In the morning's glow she looked absolutely radiant. The sun's rays made her wavy black hair seem to shimmer and come alive with a million different colors. Her lightly tanned skin looked silky and smooth and Draco couldn't resist touching it. His hand slowly moved up her arm and stroked the soft hair away from her face. He continued with just gently stroking her hair as his eyes drank up the beautiful girl lying facing him.

By this time Blaise had woken up, and though he said nothing, he too was watching the bed. But his attention was focused on Draco rather than Mira. Blaise thought of Mira as his little sister and he was extremely protective of her. So when he realized a few months ago that Draco had started looking at her differently, Blaise had to fight to keep his protective instincts in check. But now, looking at the way Draco seemed to worship his cousin with his eyes, Blaise knew that Draco honestly loved Mira and he wouldn't hurt her. Blaise resolved to do everything possible to set the two up. He had guessed that Mira like Draco from her constant blushes but wasn't sure of the depth of her feelings. He now knew beyond a doubt that while Draco may not realize he was in love with Mira, he had fallen head over heels for the petite girl. And Blaise didn't mind a bit.

But Blaise did mind that they had a half an hour until Potions! He jumped up and whispered furiously across the room.

"Hey loverboy! Get your act together!"

Draco's head whipped around to stare incredulously at his best mate.

"What the bloody hell did you just call me Zambini?" he asked

"Loverboy. Now get your arse up! We've got Potions in 20 minutes!" Blaise said, forgetting to keep his voice down.

On the bed, Mira stirred and sat up sleepily. Draco glared at Blaise as if to say 'look what you did'. Blaise rolled his eyes and gathered his books up, motioning for Draco to do the same.

"What's the rush lo-Drake?" Mira asked, blushing at her slip.

Blaise answered as Draco was too shocked to speak.

"We've got Potions in 20 minutes! Come on! Get ready!" Blaise went over and started gathering up Draco and Mira's books.

Mira laughed and laughed and laughed. Both boys stared at her, confused.

"What?" They asked simultaneously as Blaise struggled with mountains of books and Draco hurried to pull on his socks.

"It's Sunday." She replied gleefully. "Sunday. No classes, no nothing. The day of rest."

She laughed again, uncontrollably. Rolling about the bed and almost rolling off before she was caught by Draco's arms. He threw her into the middle of the bed before he and Blaise leapt on top of the diminutive girl and started tickling her mercilessly.

"That's for not telling us before!" Draco said as his fingers flew over her body making her breathless with laughter.

"That's for laughing at us!" Blaise said as he started lightly batting his cousin with fluffy pillows.

"And that's for…" Blaise glanced at Draco, unsure _what _that was for. The room suddenly fell silent. Mira looked at Draco with wide eyes, her hand over her mouth in shock. Blaise also stared at his friend, stunned. Draco looked at them both, his cheeks flamed red with embarrassment and ran from the room.

For a few seconds, everything was still until Blaise heard a few sniffles from Mira. He turned to his cousin and enveloped her in a hug.

"Shhh…it's ok. It's ok. I'm sure he was just lost in the moment Mira. I'm sure he didn't mean to kiss you." Blaise murmured to his distraught cousin in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

It obviously didn't work as this only made her cry more. Blaise gave up trying to guess what the problem was.

"Mira? Mira? What's the matter?"

It took a while, but through all the sniffles, Blaise figured out what was wrong.

She wanted the kiss. She wanted the affection. She didn't want him running away.

"Oh Blaise! What if he hates me and is horrified he did that? What if he thinks I now hate him and want nothing to do with him and then it scares him away? Oh Blaise! What am I going to do?" She wailed into his arms.

Blaise's eyes widened, he had no experience with this! What did he know of love and all it's intricacies. At least he did now know what Mira thought and felt about Draco. That was something.

"Well. I'm sure everything will work out just right. Come on. What do you think about breakfast?" Mira gave a half-hearted laugh and replied while drying her eyes.

"Alright. Thanks Blaise." She returned his hug and went into the bathroom to get dressed.

The two Zambinis made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. Mira sat next to Blaise picking at her food, dejected. Blaise sighed and hoped she'd cheer up soon.

After dinner, Blaise went out looking for Draco. Mira had been upset all day, crying a fair few times whenever something triggered her memory and Blaise was bloody mad. No one messed around with his cousin and got away with it. Not even his best friend.

After searching the castle and Pitch, Blaise walked over to the Lake. And he saw Draco sitting on his favorite rock staring morosely into the dark water.

"Hey Drake!" Blaise called

Draco looked up, startled. He had come here immediately after the morning's fiasco. He had spent the entire day shrouded in guilt and bitter sadness. The school population had wisely steered away from the brooding Malfoy though speculation ran rampant.

Blaise jogged up to the large rock and climbed to the top sitting next to Draco but not looking at him.

"What the bloody hell have you been doing all day? And what the bloody hell did you do to Mira?" Blaise snarled angrily, turning to face his friend.

Draco turned away from the accusatory stare and quietly replied.

"Nothing."

"Nothing what? She's been crying and miserable all day!"

"I'm sorry alright!" burst out an extremely upset dragon. "I didn't mean to…to…Oh what am I saying! I did mean to kiss her, I've been wanting to kiss her for weeks, months even." He glanced at Blaise, cringing in anticipation of a violent reaction.

He was surprised when Blaise started chuckling.

"Well at least you realize you're completely in love with her." Blaise muttered, mostly to himself.

However, Draco heard and pounced on the sentence.

"I'm not in love with her!" He said heatedly. Then settled back. There was no use denying it. If Draco knew one thing he had figured out during his day of voluntary solitude, it was that he, Draco Malfoy was utterly and hopelessly in love with one Miralyn Zambini Snape.

"Hell. I am in love with her." He said quietly. The first time he had said it aloud.

"Yup. You're hopelessly and completely head-over-heels gone." Blaise laughed and clapped his friend on the back.

"Better you than me! Come on. Mira will be wondering where we are." He stood up and jumped down and waited for Draco.

"But what if…." Draco started, worried.

"Give over mate. Are you the drool-worthy Slytherin Prince or aren't you? It won't kill you."

"Right. Sure. _You've _never been in love." Replied Draco, but nevertheless he joined Blaise as they jogged back to their dorm.

"Whatever."

**Thanks for reading. Reviews always welcome**! **Beta needed!**


	5. First Love

Here is the next installment

**Here is the next installment. I haven't got any reviews for the last few chapters so I have no idea if anyone is actually reading this.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters, only the original ones and the plot.**

Up in the boys' dorm, Mira sat on her bed and stared into space. Then with a jolt she realized that she was supposed to meet her dad in an hour and needed to get ready! She quickly walked over to the boys' bathroom and turned the shower on. She knew they wouldn't mind, after all, she practically lived in their dorm.

After her shower, she quickly pulled on her nice clothes. Though her father completely supported her dancing goals and dreams, he still liked to be reminded that she did know how to be a proper lady and so she always wore nice robes or dresses to their weekly meetings. Today she had decided on one of her father's favorites though it always made him a little teary because it was one of Mira's mother's. It was a beautiful indigo dress, corseted at the top but flowed out at the waist into a full-length skirt down to Mira's knees. It matched her eyes perfectly and looked absolutely marvelous on her. Mira then slipped on her matching dance shoes (her father loved to practice simple ballroom, he had gotten her started on dancing in the first place) and pulled her hair into a simple yet elegant twist. She slipped on a robe, open in the front and checked all of her jewelry.

Mira was not a vain girl, but she loved simple silver jewelry. She had many different silver pieces, necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets, but her most prized was a small delicate bracelet inlaid with lapis lazuli stones that her mother had given to her upon her birth. Mira hardly ever took it off and fiddled with it when she got nervous.

After one last look in the mirror, Mira ran over to her desk which was sandwiched in between her wardrobe and bed, she grabbed the stack of Potions magazines and leafed through them to find the one she and her Father were currently discussing. She also rummaged around her bedside table to find the box of chocolates she had gotten in Hogsmeade over summer break. She had seen them in the back of Honeydukes and had gotten them for her father. They were expensive, brandy filled dark chocolate, but she knew he'd like them.

Looking at the clock, she saw she still had a good 20 minutes before she had to leave and so she settled on the window seat with one of the more controversial articles to refresh her memory.

A few minutes later she was startled by voices outside the dorm.

"Blaise, what if…."

"Stop with the 'what ifs' Drake! Just tell her everything. Go on. Go!"

"Blaise…"

"Go already!"

"I'm going I'm…going?" Draco finished weakly as he stared at the vision in front of him. While he had been turned around arguing with Blaise, Mira had quietly opened the door to the dorm and now stood there, framed in the soft torchlight.

Draco's eyes widened and his jaw almost dropped. Behind him, Blaise smirked at his loss for words.

"Well? Are you going to come in or not?" she asked with uncharacteristic boredom and slight impatience.

Draco shook his head quickly and walked through the door. Blaise melted into the Slytherin Common room, leaving the two alone.

Once inside, Mira made her way to her bed where she sat down and faced Draco. Uncertain, he sat down on his bed, which was directly opposite hers. He opened his mouth but she beat him to it.

"Draco. I think an explanation is in order?" she asked quietly.

Draco looked down at his hands and then back up again.

"Yeah Mira. I'm sorry. For making you upset, for being such a prat, for everything."

Mira raised an eyebrow at this. "But not for the…kiss? Interesting." She said, amused.

Draco groaned lightly. "You're not going to make this any easier for me are you?"

She said nothing, merely smirked slightly so Draco had to squint to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light.

"Fine." He rose and sat down next to her, turning her to face him and taking one of her tiny hands in his.

"Miralyn Zambini Snape. I've known you almost your entire life and I've always loved you like a sister. But lately, that's begun to change." He looked away for a moment then back into her shining eyes.

"Damn Mira this is hard. I'll just come right out and say it then. I love you. As a whole lot more than a sister or a friend. I know you're only 15, but one day I'd like to marry you and spend my entire life with you. I don't know what you feel about me, but I hope maybe…." He trailed off and looked out the window, avoiding her eyes.

"Dray. Dray. Look at me." Mira commanded softly.

"Father will probably kill you, then lock me in a tower for eternity but I don't care. I love you Draco Malfoy, and I always will." She smiled happily and he gathered up in his arms.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her lightly. A kiss filled with promise, hope, and love. They broke the kiss quickly but Mira stayed in his arms. She loved the safe and comforting feeling she got when he held her. She wanted to stay there forever but

"Merlin! Father's going to kill me!"

Mira jumped up and quickly gathered everything up. Draco watched from the bed amused. She stopped in front of him and asked anxiously

"How do I look?"

"Brilliant love." She smiled at the endearment as he pulled her close and captured her lips again.

"See you later love. Go. Uncle isn't good at waiting."

"Alright. Later. You're right! He's horrible. Don't let Blaise kill you!" she blew him a kiss and ran out of the dorm to her father's quarters. Draco lay back on her bed and grinned happily.

Outside the Slytherin common room, Blaise waited for Mira. When she came out of the room, he grabbed her.

"Well? Never mind. Go have fun with Uncle Sev. I know the story already."

Mira looked at him quizzically and he laughed.

"You're eyes are glazed over with happiness and you have a foolish grin stretched over your face."

"Oh." She laughed. "With good reason. Blaise! He loves me!" she hugged her cousin tightly before running off to her father's tower.

Blaise chuckled and slowly made his way back to their shared dorm room.

When Mira finally made it up to her father's quarters she found him on the couch waiting for her.

"I'm sorry father, I got caught up." She said grinning madly.

Severus cocked an eyebrow and smiled lightly at her uncharacteristic expression.

"If I didn't know any better Miralyn, I'd say you were in love!"

Mira only giggled while handing her father the chocolates.

"Why thank you Miralyn. These look very nice. Whatever is the occasion?"

"Do I need an occasion to buy presents for my wonderful father?"

"Whatever has gotten into you Miralyn? You're acting quite strange tonight. Are you sure you're quite alright?" He asked smiling. He knew exactly what was 'wrong' with Mira. Any fool could see it and Severus Snape was many things but never a fool.

"I'm perfectly fine father. I'm better than fine in fact." She announced as she sat down on the couch next to her father.

"Pray tell. Who is the lucky, or unlucky man?" Severus asked, though he had a good idea who it was.

"Unlucky? However could Draco Malfoy be unlucky?" Mira asked genuinely confused.

"Ah. Draco is it? That's all right then. If it had been anyone else, they'd be having a fun talk with _me _before I'd even let them _think_ about touching you."

"Daaaaaaad." Mira moaned. "Why is Draco different then?"

"For many reasons. One, he is my godson and the son of my best friends. Two, you've liked him for years. Three, he's is an honorable boy and won't play with you. Four, you're already betrothed so this just makes it better." He smiled smugly as he waited to see how long it would take his daughter to realize what he had said.

He wasn't disappointed. Scarcely a second after he finished talking, Mira had pounced on his last reason.

"Betrothed?"

"Annebelle and Narcissa arranged it when you were born. They wanted to link our three families and so we all agreed on this. We were planning to tell you on your 16th birthday and then wait until Draco's 20th birthday for you two to be wed. But now we won't have to tell you."

"No. You certainly won't. Draco already said he wanted to marry me, in a few years." She added hurriedly at her father's slightly horrified look.

"Well. Now that that's settled, what did you think of that article about brewing ambrosia?"

**That's all for now folks! Please review and tell me what you thought.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	6. First Trick

Here is the next chapter

**Here is the next chapter. I have some good ideas about the unfolding plot though the next few chapters may be a little boring until we get there.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: same as always.**

By the time Mira got back from her father's tower, it was quite late and the corridors were quiet. Mira hurried back, wanting to get _some_ sleep before school started again tomorrow. She slipped quietly inside the boys' dorm and made her way over to the mirror to begin to take down her hair. As she was taking the last pin out, she was surprised when two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist and a voice whispered in her ear.

"Why hello there beautiful. How was it?"

Mira laughed softly and turned around so she was facing Draco. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before squirming away to change into her nightgown. She quickly laid out her things for tomorrow and crawled into her bed. She lay on her back, facing the ceiling and squeaked in surprise when Draco pulled her to him.

"Draco! You have your own bed!" she whispered, mock angry.

"So? This one's nicer." She could tell he was smirking even in the dark.

"How can that be? It's way smaller than yours." She pointed out logically.

"So? You're here." He replied, kissing her cheek.

"You're such a softie," she laughed. "Father had some news," she stated, suddenly turning serious.

She rolled over to face Draco and propped her head up on her hand.

"Yes?" Draco asked, slightly worried. Mira looked down, embarrassed before looking up again at Draco.

"Did you mean what you said earlier about future marriage?" she asked shyly.

"Certainly love. Why?" He replied quickly.

"Because Father said that we're already betrothed, and have been since my birth. He said it was one of mother's last wishes."

Draco's eyes widened, he had not been expecting _that_.

"So? I don't see a problem with that. When were they going to tell us?"

"On my 16th birthday in May." She replied.

"And the marriage?"

"Between your 20th and 21st birthdays."

Draco sighed contentedly. "That's still a way off then."

"Yes, 3 or 4 years away love. I wonder why they used your birthday and then my birthday. You'd think they'd be consistent."

"Well maybe it was because they wanted to tell us as soon as possible, and marry us as late as possible so we could have the maximum amount of time to get used to it." Mira replied. "After all, I'm almost a year younger than you are so that would make sense. Father was relieved that he wouldn't have to force us together. He had not been relishing that part of the betrothal."

Draco chuckled and turned Mira's small body so that her head lay against his chest with his arms wrapped around her. Mira sighed happily.

"Blaise is going to have a fit if you sleep here tonight." She said softly.

"Let him. He'll have to get used to it. We may as well just vanish a bed, then we'll have loads more space."

"Vanish mine. It's smaller." Came Mira's sleepy reply.

Moments later, she drifted off to sleep with a small smile on her face. Draco took longer, but he eventually fell asleep, dreaming about little children with curly blond hair and indigo eyes.

...

Mira woke up at her usual early time the next morning. She smiled and pulled out of Draco's embrace, or tried to. Every time she moved he just held her tighter. Though it was endearing, it got rather irritating as it stopped Mira from moving.

"Draco!" she whispered, trying not to wake her cousin. "Let me go!"

"Never love." He murmured still half-asleep.

"Draco Malfoy. If you ever want to sleep here with me again, you _will_ let me go." Mira commanded.

Draco's arms snapped open immediately and Mira crawled out laughing as she made her way into the boys' bathroom.

When she emerged a few minutes later, she saw the two boys were still fast asleep. Glancing at the time, she decided to have some fun at their expense.

Waving her wand, she enchanted a small ball to float above the boys' heads with instructions to ring loudly 5 minutes before their Potions class started. Mira cackled evilly as she exited the Slytherin Common Room.

She made her way down to breakfast and decided to sit with her Gryffindor friends today.

"Hey Ginny!"

"Hey Mira! What's up? You look very satisfied. What did you do?"

"Nothing. To bad you won't be in Potions this morning. The boys are going to have loads of fun getting there on time. Father likes them but he has something of a temporary grudge against Draco at the moment so I wouldn't be surprised if a detention came his way!" Mira laughed and started eating.

Ginny stared at her wide-eyed for a moment. "A grudge? What do you mean?"

"Well, Dracojustmightbemynewboyfriend." Mira mumbled out quickly.

Ginny however, understood perfectly.

"What! That's brilliant! You've had a crush on him since forever!" the redhead practically _shouted_. Mira blushed red and motioned for her friend to sit down.

"Will you be quiet? The whole world doesn't need to know."

"Oh Mira. I'm so happy for you! Tell me _everything_."

"Well, the boys woke me up and…" began Mira.

...

Back in the dorm, the alarms had just gone off, flashing and blaring madly above the teenage boys' heads.

"Bloody hell Drake! That girlfriend of yours gave us 5 minutes until Potions!" screamed Blaise, as he started running around the room frantically.

Draco started preparing himself just as hurriedly though he had a huge grin on his face. My _girlfriend_ he thought happily. Finally, she's my girlfriend.

...

Back in the Great Hall Mira finished her explanation and hurried off to Potions. She didn't want to miss one minute of the fun. Sure enough, not one minute after class started, Draco and Blaise burst into the classroom, interrupting Professor Snape's lecture. He turned towards the flushed boys slowly as the rest of the class looked on, Mira struggling to contain her mirth.

"Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zambini. How nice of you to _finally _join us. Please, do enlighten us as to why you must burst into my classroom in such a fashion. Late." Snape said in an eerily calm voice.

The two boys in question stiffened immediately and Draco took it upon himself to answer.

"Well sir, we lost track of the time." Draco stated as he glared daggers at his smirking girlfriend.

Snape turned back to the class and spread his hands. "They lost track of the time. Lovely. Miss Granger! What is the usual punishment for being late here at Hogwarts?"

The bushy haired Gryffindor sitting next to her friend Mira grinned and replied,

"At least one detention sir."

"Thank you Miss Granger." Snape said as he turned back to face the delinquents.

"Miss Granger, is as always, correct in her answer. Therefore, here, tonight, at 8:00, cleaning cauldrons. Understood?"

"Yes Professor."

"Good. Now, take a seat and get back to work."

The two boys sat down heavily in their seats as Mira and Hermione chuckled softly. The two Slytherins spent the entire class glaring at Mira's back.

...

After Double Potions had ended, it was lunch. Monday was one of Mira's favorite days as it consisted of Double Potions in the morning, lunch, and then Charms and then she was free for the rest of the day. Mira was doubly glad of that free period because she wanted to make sure that she and Draco would have a perfect dance for tonight.

Mira sat down with Ginny and Hermione at the Gryffindor table but ate quickly and decided to go outside for the rest of lunch. She made her way down to the lake but as she passed a large oak tree, a hand reached out and grabbed her. She yelped but relaxed when she realized it was only Blaise and Draco.

"You little witch!" Blaise snarled at her. Mira merely grinned in response.

"Come on. Father wants to talk to you anyways. He won't make you clean _too_ many cauldrons."

"Why would he want to talk to us?"

"You'll see," she said vaguely, glancing meaningfully at Draco while she answered. His eyes widened slightly in understanding.

"What's your schedules after lunch?" Mira asked the two boys.

"Well, I've got Charms with you and then Muggle Studies." Answered Blaise.

"And I've got Charms and then nothing." Replied Draco.

"Good. I've got the same schedule as you then, so meet me in the studio after Charms so we can practice for tonight?" Mira asked, looking up at her tall boyfriend.

"Merlin! I'd forgotten about that. Yeah definitely." Draco said slapping his forehead for forgetting. Then he smiled at Mira and wrapped his arms around her. Blaise took this as his cue to leave. Once he was gone, Draco kissed Mira sweetly on the lips, smiling happily.

"Love? Be my girlfriend and come with me on the next Hogsmeade trip?"

"Of course." Mira answered, snuggling closer to Draco and sighing in content.

"We should probably get to Charms." She murmured dreamily.

"Probably. Come on." Draco grabbed their books in one hand and took her tiny palm in his and together they walked to Charms. At the entrance to the classroom, most of the girls saw the two walking hand in hand and starting giggling and 'awing'. Mira blushed and Draco smirked as they both walked into the classroom and took seats on the side.

**That's it for this chapter. In the next chapter you will see,**

**- What Hogwarts thinks of this new couple**

**- Who made the dance team**

**- And why there is a dance team**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. First Performance

At the behest of my temperamental beta, I am writing another chapter for Grytherin

**At the behest of my temperamental beta, I am writing another chapter for **_**Grytherin**_**. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Same as always.**

After charms, Draco and Mira practiced their waltz until they were both sure it was completely perfect. Then they had to decide on their outfit, which surprisingly didn't take very long. Miss Layla had told them that she would call up a pair onto a makeshift stage where they would perform between 30-60 seconds of a routine. Mira and Draco were ready.

They went up to their dorm to change and then walked down to dinner and sat next to Blaise.

"You guys ready?" he whispered as the food appeared.

"Yeah." Replied Draco, holding Mira's hand under the table. She was shaking slightly which surprised Draco.

"Love, why are you nervous?" he asked, concerned.

"Because I've never performed at Hogwarts before." She answered softly.

"But you've done high level competitions in front of huge crowds," he reasoned.

"Yes, but never in front of my friends."

"You'll be fine love. Just eat." Draco gave her a quick hug before digging in to the delicious feast.

As soon as the last plate vanished, Miss Layla stood up and addressed the students. Telling them all about the dance team and it's purpose.

"Also, this team will be traveling with me to other schools and competition venues to compete in large competitions. The first couple I'd like to call up is Mandy Brocklehurst and Terry Boot of Ravenclaw!"

The Ravenclaw table erupted with applause.

"Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnegan of Gryffindor!"

The Gryffindor table clapped loudly for their pair.

"Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan of Hufflepuff!"

The Hufflepuff table cheered for their winners.

"And last but not least, Draco Malfoy of Slytherin and his partner Miralyn Snape!"

The Slytherin and Gryffindor tables both cheered at the last announcement. Draco stood up and brought Mira with him to stand with the other couples in front of the Head Table.

"Thank you, everybody." Miss Layla said once the cheering had died down a bit.

"Now I would like to ask each couple to come on to the makeshift stage and show you all something of their skills. Hannah and Ernie!"

Mira and Draco analyzed their dance carefully, but quickly agreed that the Hufflepuff pair would have a lot of trouble on a dance faster than a foxtrot.

"Terry and Mandy"

Once again, Mira and Draco came to the conclusion that the Ravenclaw were all right if not amazing.

"Lavender and Seamus"

The last couple liked the Gryffindor dance,

"The swing suits them." Mira whispered inconspicuously to Draco. He nodded in agreement.

"Miralyn and Draco"

Draco took Mira's hand and led her onstage. "Ready love?" he whispered. She nodded with a smile.

"Let's knock their socks off!"

The music started and the couple began to dance. They had taken Miss Layla's advice and not put anything tricky in, however, even to the inexperienced audience watching, Draco and Mira were clearly more comfortable with the moves and with each other than any of the other pairs. They also received more applause at the end.

"Thank you dancers for your performances, and thank you audience for your attention. The first competition is at Durmstrang in a week. Thank you."

Draco and Mira walked out of the Hall with the rest of the student body already planning everything for the competition.

**That's all for today! Next chapter: The competition! **

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. First Ring

Here is the next chapter

**Here is the next chapter. It will be longer than the last, I promise.**

**Disclaimer: You all know the drill…**

For the next week, Draco and Mira practiced their three routines at every possible opportunity. On their next 5th year dance class on Friday, Miss Layla gave them the entire class just to prepare. The competition would be on Monday. The Hogwarts team and Miss Layla would take a portkey to Durmstrang Sunday night, compete Monday and Tuesday, and come back on Wednesday.

Each couple had to dance two dances but as Mira and Draco were more advanced, Miss Layla had asked them to prepare three. Two dances were for the competition; one dance was for the showcase.

Draco was glad however, that the Hogsmeade trip was on Saturday. He wanted to get Mira something from a shop there and he wanted to give it to her before they left Hogwarts. Mira was also glad that they would have an opportunity to go to Hogsmeade because Flourish and Blotts had owled her saying that her requested book order had come in. So both students were glad when Miss Layla told them that they didn't have to practice on Saturday. Draco took particular glee in the fact that of the four couples; only they were given this day off as Miss Layla felt that the other three couples needed more work on their dances.

When Saturday finally rolled around, Draco and Mira were practically up with the sun. They rushed down to breakfast and were in Hogsmeade by 8 am. They split up at first, promising to meet up at the Three Broomsticks at 9:30.

Mira hurried to Flourish and Blotts to pick up her book order. Knowing that she still had plenty of time before she had to meet Draco, she bought the newest Potions Weekly for her father and 2 pounds of candy and snacks for the competition. She also visited the small robes store in search of a new hair clip to go with one of her competition outfits.

Meanwhile, Draco had gone immediately into a small alley and into a small but high-quality jewelry shop. He started looking at the jewelry there, looking for something simple, but elegant and unique. The shopkeeper noticed the boy gazing at the expensive items and waddled over.

"Boy! I'll have you know that these are very expensive items. They won't be within your budget."

Draco looked up coldly. "I'm sure they are well within the Malfoy budget." He stated in a stiff voice.

The shopkeeper looked startled. "Oh I'm terribly sorry Master Malfoy. I didn't recognize you at first. What are you looking for today?"

"Actually, I'm looking for a ring. Simple, yet elegant and unique. Have you anything that fits that description?" Asked Draco.

The shopkeeper smiled and pulled out a beautiful delicate ring. It was made of pure silver with a strip of platinum gold, the same color as my hair, thought Draco. In the middle sat three tiny but exquisite clear diamonds. Draco loved it immediately.

"Perfect. I'll take it." He stated calmly.

"An excellent choice Mr. Malfoy. This little beauty also has many protection charms on it. Have you another ring that you always wear?"

Draco held up his personal Slytherin ring.

"Excellent. For no extra charge, I can link these two rings so you will know whenever the wearer of this ring," the shopkeeper informed an interested Draco, "is in trouble. Also, if the wearer is your true love, it will enable the two of you to speak telepathically."

Draco gave a rare smile. "Brilliant. I'll take it."

After purchasing the ring, Draco slipped the small box into his pocket and went to meet Mira at the Three Broomsticks.

He slipped inside the warm room and spotted Mira immediately. She had her nose buried in what looked to be a new book, oblivious to her surroundings. He walked to the table and slipped into the opposite her.

"Morning love."

"Oh! Hello Draco!" She said happily, putting down her book.

"Good book?" he asked

"Very. It's a new one I picked up at Flourish and Blotts. It's _Ancient Spells and Curses_ by a famous Asian curse breaker. Hermione recommended it." Mira said earnestly.

Draco laughed. "Yes, that certainly sounds like something Granger would like. Did you order anything?"

"No. We already had breakfast."

"Good. Come with me." Draco said, taking Mira's hand and walking with her to a small clearing in the woods surrounding Hogsmeade.

"Mira, there is something I'd like to ask you."

"Alright Draco. What is it?" Mira asked, curious but slightly confused at Draco's serious tone.

Draco knelt down on the ground and grabbed Mira's hand as he looked up at her. Mira's eyes went wide and she gave a small gasp.

"Miralyn Zambini Snape, I have known you for a long time, and even though I haven't loved you for as long, I love you now more than I ever could have imagined. The betrothal aside, if I was freely given a choice, I would decide in a heartbeat to marry and spend the rest of my life with you. Miralyn Zambini Snape. Will you marry me?" Draco asked hopefully.

Mira's eyes swelled up with unshed tears and she smiled ecstatically.

"Yes love. Of course I'll marry you!" she replied in a breathless whisper.

Draco beamed and swept her up in his arms before kissing her madly. He set her down gently and reached into his pocket to produce a small black box. He opened it and grinned at Mira's gasp.

"This is for you love. It's linked to my ring to tell me if you ever need me." He slipped it on her ring finger and she smiled when it fit perfectly. He purposely left out the part about true love. That would either come or it wouldn't.

"Did you ask Father?" Mira asked anxiously.

"Of course. We talked it over during my detention. He is fine with it and happy for us. As long as we don't actually get married before you are 18." Draco smiled down at Mira who was grinning euphorically.

"Wonderful". Mira said as she slipped her hand into Draco's and together they started walking back to Hogwarts.

**That's all for this chapter. Competition will be in the next one sorry.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	9. First Dream

Here is the next chapter of Grytherin

**Here is the next chapter of Grytherin. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimers: I own nothing.**

**Note: I have gotten quite a few complaints about the spelling of "Zabini" in my fics. I would like to state, once and for all that I **_**know**_** that the correct spelling **_**is**_** "Zabini". However, I ****purposely**** use "Zambini". I hope this explanation clears the air, and I don't think it is too much to ask that I get no more complaints about my spelling? Contrary to popular belief I am **_**not**_** stupid enough to misspell it more than once a chapter.**

**On with the story!**

It was Sunday afternoon and Mira was franticly packing. She scurried about the dorm room throwing everything she could possibly need onto her bed.

Draco watched with an amused expression as she muttered to herself while rifling through her large wardrobe.

"Relax love! You'll be fine. You know that once we get there we can conjure or get Blaise to owl us whatever you might forget." He said, chuckling slightly as he lay on his bed comfortably.

Mira waved her hand at him impatiently as she continued preparing. She proceeded to pack for about 20 minutes before closing her now full trunk with a triumphant smile.

She then turned towards Draco and pounced on his bed, landing on top of him, smirking when he grunted with surprise.

"Have you packed yet Dray?" she asked, a frown once again crossing her face.

Draco saw the frown and answered quickly, hoping to sooth his fiancée's worries.

"I'm all set love. Are you sure our costumes will match? I thought I'd get a preview at least." He grinned.

She slapped his arm playfully. "You know very well that Miss Layla and I have already approved all the costumes. You'll see mine when we perform and not a second before!" Mira said in mock anger while grinning cheekily.

"I can't convince you?" asked Draco petulantly.

"Of course no-" Mira was cut off abruptly as Draco leaned forwards, sealing her lips with a sweet and gentle kiss.

A sudden clearing of Blaise's throat broke the pair apart. Mira blushed and buried her head in Draco's chest as Draco smirked at his best friend.

"I know you're engaged and all, but please, for my sake, close the door when you do that. Or better yet, don't do it at all!" scolded Blaise as he walked into the room and sprawled on his bed.

Draco gathered Mira close and drawled at his friend over Mira's head.

"Don't do it at all? But then I won't get what I want! And you know Malfoys _always_ get what they want." A large smirk graced his features until Mira hit him lightly with a small fist.

"Prat" she said into his chest.

Blaise laughed, then looked at the time and jumped up.

"Guys come on. Dinner just started. Didn't you tell me you wanted to have an early meal?"

Mira sat up quickly and nodded. She wriggled free of Draco's grasp and walked over to the door.

"Well, aren't you two coming?" she asked.

"Of course love. Can't compete on an empty stomach!" replied Draco as he grabbed her hand.

The trio made their way to the Great Hall quickly and sat down at the Slytherin table. Ever since Mira's sorting, Gryffindors and Slytherins had been mixing more and so it was not unusual when Mira's friends, Ginny and Hermione sat down next to her.

"Hey Mira!" Said Ginny as she grabbed some potatoes.

"Hey Gin. Hey Mione!" Replied Mira cheerfully.

"So are you two excited for the competition?" Hermione asked Draco and Mira.

"Of course Granger. Will you be happy when we bring back the trophy?" smirked Draco.

"Of course Malfoy. For it won't be a solely Slytherin win." Replied Hermione in a fake snarky voice.

Draco laughed, a rare event, one that took Hermione and Ginny by surprise.

"What's gotten into you? It's like you're in love." Said Ginny, surprised.

Draco merely grinned and said,

"Maybe I am Weasley."

Ginny and Hermione looked at Mira, confused. Mira shrugged and said,

"Pass the potatoes will you Ginny?"

Ginny grabbed the bowl and handed in to Mira who reached out to take it. Ginny gasped and Hermione leaned forward.

"Mira? What's this?" asked Hermione, grabbing Mira's hand and examining the ring on her finger.

Mira looked at Draco who nodded happily. He wanted everyone to know Mira was his. Mira turned back to her friends and answered quietly,

"It's my engagement ring. Draco gave it to me yesterday."

The two Gryffindor girls squealed in excitement and hugged their Grytherin friend hard.

"How wonderful! Congratulations to you both!" gushed Hermione.

"This is great! You two must be ecstatic." Added Ginny.

Draco smiled and bent down to give his fiancée a short kiss. Mira blushed but smiled and leaned against Draco's chest as he wrapped an arm around her tiny waist.

Ginny and Hermione cooed. "Oh, you two are so cute together. Really a beautiful couple."

Mira blushed again and then pulled Draco up.

"Come on. Sorry guys, we have to go now. See you on Wednesday!" She called over her shoulder as they made their way out of the Hall. After a quick trip back to the dorm to collect their trunks, they met the other couples and Miss Layla in the Entrance Hall. Strangely enough, Professor Snape had joined the group. Mira ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Hello Father. What are you doing here?" she asked.

Severus smiled briefly at his daughter before answering. "Why chaperoning you all of course. Since I am the only male Professor who knows anything about dance competitions. All that practice with you paid off." He took her hand and examined the ring Draco had given her. Mira watched apprehensively, somewhat scared that he would forbid her to marry Draco. Her fears were put to rest when her Father looked up with a soft smile.

"It's beautiful Miralyn. I'm glad it's Draco."

Mira hugged him once again before stepping back as Miss Layla cleared her throat.

"Alright everyone. Now the Headmaster has lifted the wards for a few minutes to allow us to port-key out. Everyone put a finger on this. 1-2-3…"

A second later, the Entrance Hall was empty.

The group appeared in the Durmstrang reception area. They were shown to their rooms and Miss Layla gave out the room assignments.

"Mandy, Mira, Lavender, and Hannah will have this room," said Miss Layla as she gestured to the room on the right of the corridor.

"Draco, Terry, Seamus, and Ernie will have the room on the left side of the hall. I will be next to the girls' room and Professor Snape will be next to the boys'. Say your goodnights and make sure not to stay up too late."

From the moment Miss Layla had announced that they would be separated, Mira had been strangely quiet. Lately, she had taken to sleeping in the same bed as Draco, ensuring that she felt safe and protected without getting the nightmares about her mother's death, which usually plagued her. But now, she knew she'd have a hard time sleeping tonight. Draco squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear,

"Don't worry love. You'll be alright." Inside though, he himself was slightly apprehensive about Mira's wellbeing. He knew she got horrific nightmares and worried what would happen if he wasn't there to help.

When Miss Layla dismissed them, the couples all turned towards each other with things to remember or things to practice. Mira just turned into Draco who in turn held her close.

"You'll be alright love," he repeated before bending down to give her a quick kiss.

She nodded slowly before saying

"Goodnight Dray. See you in the morning."

They parted ways, going into their respective dorms.

Mira entered the girls' room and quickly changed into her nightgown. She lay back on the bed and sighed. Immediately, the other three girls pounced on her bed.

"What?" said Mira, slightly startled.

"So, what's going on with you and Malfoy?" asked Lavender eagerly.

"Nothing." Replied Mira defensively.

"Riiiight. That kiss didn't seem like nothing." Stated Hannah.

"Alright fine. He's my boyfriend. Shouldn't we be going to sleep now?" Mira asked in a plaintive voice. As much as she dreaded sleeping, she dreaded a full-on interrogation more.

"Alright. Goodnight then!" Said Mandy as the girls' went to their respective beds. Lavender flicked her wand and the lights went off. The four girls slowly drifted off to sleep.

Almost immediately, Mira's dream started playing.

"_Aha, my two favorite followers. Come forward Severus, Annebelle. What do you have for me?" Asked Voldemort._

_Severus and his wife crept forward on their knees until they were at Voldemort's feet._

"_Our child my Lord." Replied Annebelle._

"_Is it a girl or a boy?" Asked Voldemort._

"_A girl, my Lord."_

_Voldemort snarled and lashed out, catching Annebelle's cheek, slicing it open with a curse._

"_A girl! I don't want a filthy girl! At least the Malfoys and Zambinis gave me boys! Girls are worthless! And you are worthless by having one! Avada Kedavra!" cried Voldemort, a green light shooting out of his wand and hitting Annebelle Zambini Snape in the chest. She screamed and fell to the ground, dead. Baby Miralyn started crying and Severus gathered her up with shaking arms._

"_Get out of my sight!" growled the Dark Lord._

_Severus moved back and apparated home to Hogwarts before allowing tears to flow down his cheeks._

Mira woke up with a jolt, a scream died on her lips as she realized where she was. Gasping, she lay back down as tears poured down her face. She grabbed her ring and twisted it on her finger.

'_Draco!' _she screamed in her mind. Wishing that he could somehow hear her. She was shocked when she heard a voice in her mind within seconds.

'_What love? What's wrong?' _asked Draco frantically, having just woken up at Mira's telepathic call. A small corner of his mind rejoiced. This ability obviously meant that they were destined to be together.

Mira's thoughts turned from fear to curiosity. _'Draco?'_

'_Yes?'_

'_How is this possible?'_

'_Your ring is linked to mine love. If you need me, I'll know. Also, the charm that does that also allows the two wearers to communicate telepathically if, and only if, they are each other's true loves.' _Came Draco's answer.

Mira smiled joyfully as a few tears of happiness leaked out of her eyes.

'_I'm sorry to wake you. It was just the dream. I was so scared.'_ She shuddered, remembering her previous terror.

Across the hall, Draco frowned with worry.

'_Are you alright love?'_

'_Now I am, yes. Go back to sleep. Get some rest Dray. You'll need it tomorrow.'_

'_Are you sure love? If you want, I can come in and stay with you.'_

'_I'd love that Dray; you know I would, but Miss Layla and Father definitely wouldn't. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine.'_

'_All right. Goodnight then love, sleep well.' _Draco grudgingly thought as he withdrew from their connection.

Mira snuggled into her blankets and smiled happily at what she now knew. She was his soul mate and true love! Thinking this happy thought, she drifted of into a dreamless sleep.

**Well there you go! The competition will be in the next chapter, which I will post within a few days. Please tell me what you think about this last chapter. It's much longer than my other ones, so enjoy!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. First Round

Here is the next chapter

**Here is the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, had some problems with writer's block.**

When Mira woke up the next morning, the other girls were already up and bustling around, preparing for the day ahead.

Mira hopped out of bed and started packing her things. Today was the competition day. In the morning were all the classical ballroom dances, and the afternoon was set-aside for the Latin dancing competition. On Tuesday, there would be a morning mingling activity with the other competitors and then the afternoon and evening were for the awards ceremony and the showcase. The showcase was one of the main events. The best pair from each school would dance two dances and whichever couple was the best would win the award for their school. It was the most exciting and well-known part of the inter-school dance competition and the part Mira loved the best.

As the Hogwarts girls finished getting ready, they grabbed their things and went out into the hallway to find the two professors and the boys already waiting for them. Draco immediately moved to Mira's side, enveloping her in a one armed hug. Mira smiled lightly and listened to Miss Layla.

"Hello ladies, just in time. Today we will be having a quick breakfast before starting in one of the practice rooms. The first round of the competition will start at 9:30 precisely. Let's go!" Miss Layla said cheerfully.

She turned down the hall and started walking briskly to the Dining Hall of Durmstrang. The students greeted each other and moved after her with Professor Snape bringing up the rear.

They reached the Dining Hall and sat down at one of the extra tables. The group ate quickly and followed Miss Layla as she led the way to their designated practice studio. The girls all quickly pulled off their wraps and began to stretch. The boys followed suit as the two Professors prepared music as they talked quietly in the corner.

After about a half an hour of warm-ups, Miss Layla called the dancers over.

"Alright everyone. You will all be competing today, one dance each this morning. Lavender and Seamus, you two will be doing the slow waltz first. Mandy and Terry, you two are up next with the Viennese waltz. Hannah and Ernie will be dancing the foxtrot, and Draco and Mira will be dancing the quickstep. Lavender and Seamus will be practicing first and we will continue in that order. Lavender and Seamus!"

The Gryffindor couple walked to the middle of the room and stood in their starting positions. They danced the slow waltz well enough though Miss Layla did have quite a few pointers for the pair. The Ravenclaws took their places as Draco drew Mira over to a small-secluded corner.

"Mira love, are you alright?" whispered Draco, concern showing clearly in his eyes.

Mira smiled lightly and reached up to hug him close. She whispered into his ear,

"I'm fine Dray. It was just a dream. Stop worrying about that already. We have to prepare for the competition."

Draco hugged her back and gave her a quick kiss before turning back to watch the last few bars of Hannah and Ernie's foxtrot.

When they had finished, Draco drew Mira to the middle of the room and they waited for their music to come on.

They did the dance very well and both were smiling at the end of it. Just then Miss Layla looked at the time and almost shrieked.

"We're going to be late! Come on! Come on!" She hustled the students out of the room quickly, making their way back to the Dining Hall where the competition was to be held.

...

By dinnertime, all the dancers were exhausted. As they ate their dinner, it was all Mira could do to put food in her mouth. After about 10 minutes of eating, Mira's eyes started drooping and she swayed backwards. Right before she hit the ground Draco pulled her up against him. He took one look at his sleepy fiancée and then looked around for one of the professors. Seeing Professor Snape first, Draco gently picked his now sleeping partner up bridal style and carried her to where the Potions Master sat.

"Sir, may I take her to her rooms? She has had a busy day and I don't think she'll want to stay up later for the parties and mingling." Draco asked respectfully.

Severus smiled at the picture his daughter and her fiancé made.

"Of course Draco." He dropped his voice lower so Draco had to lean in to hear. "And please stay with her. I know that stress makes her dreams worse."

Draco nodded and turned, walking out of the Dining Hall cradling Mira gently in his arms.

...

Draco walked carefully into the girls' dorm and carefully over to what he judged to be Mira's bed. He laid her down reverently and started making her more comfortable. He removed her shoes and socks, outer robes and hairpins before he was faced with the dilemma of her dance clothes. He knew Mira would be mortified if he completely undressed her, so he used his wand. With a flick of his wrist, she was dressed in a light cotton nightgown. Draco smiled and started making himself more comfortable. He took off his outer garments as well, but didn't change into his nightclothes.

Once they were both more comfortable, he lay down next to Mira and slowly pulled the bed covers over them. He took Mira in his arms and slowly stroked her soft hair as he fell asleep.

...

Mira woke up the next morning feeling as rested and as content as she had never been before. She moved her head of her hard pillow and, wait. Hard pillow?

Mira looked down at the "pillow" she had been sleeping on, and smiled when she saw it was Draco. She looked around the dorm and saw that none of the other girls had woken up. She looked down at her position on top of Draco and winced. During the night, he had pulled her so that their legs were intertwined and she was half on top of him. While she didn't mind this position in the least, she did dread the other girls' inevitable reactions.

She quickly started untangling herself. She sat up on the bed and swung her legs over the side. As she was about to stand up, a hand stopped her. She looked back and smiled as she saw Draco blinking sleepily at her.

"Good morning Dray." She said softly. Draco smiled and pulled her back onto the bed. He brought her up close to him so that their faces were nearly touching. He kissed her softly and sweetly and she sighed in contentment. He smiled against her lips and pulled away whispering,

"Good morning love." She laughed softly.

"Come on Dray, get up. We should get ready. Then we can go to the practice room early and work on our tango for the showcase." She sat up again and wriggled out of his reach before he could catch her. He slowly stood up and they got ready in silence.

After leaving a quick note for her father, Mira joined Draco in the Dining Hall. They quietly ate breakfast before making their way to the same practice studio as yesterday. They quickly became enveloped in their dancing, so much so that they didn't notice when the rest of the Hogwarts group came in.

Draco spun Mira out and snapped her back in again before freezing in their final position. They both smiled and Mira leaned up for a kiss. Severus cleared his throat loudly and the pair sprang apart. Mira saw the watching group who were looking at them with amusement. She blushed bright red as Draco smirked.

Miss Layla laughed.

"Alright you two, are you all ready for the showcase tonight?"

Draco and Mira nodded.

"Good. Let's go outside then, for the mingling activities."

As one, the Hogwarts students trouped outside for what promised to be an interesting morning.

**That's all for now, but don't worry, Chapter 11 will be up by tomorrow.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. First Trophy

Sorry this is a few days late, I was working on my other story, Daily Routine

**Sorry this is a few days late, I was working on my other story, Daily Routine.**

**Anyway, on with the show! Oh. And sorry I forgot the disclaimer at the beginning of the last chapter and in the Daily Routine.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and I probably never will. Sadly.**

"Mingling" consisted of walking around with Draco, listening to girls coo over him while they ignored her glares, or guys staring at her, ignoring Draco's glares. Thankfully, Hannah and Ernie stayed close by and were always willing to jump in if anything went too far. By lunchtime, Mira and Draco were profoundly grateful for the support for the two Hufflepuffs.

After a delicious lunch, the Hall fell silent as everyone waited in anticipation for the awards ceremony. They were not disappointed when the Head Judge of the competition stood up to speak.

"On behalf of myself and the other two judges, we would like to commend all the dancers present for their wonderful dancing. We feel honored to have been invited to judge this Inter-School competition and we thank everyone present for making this possible. Before we begin with the awards, we would like to specifically thank the Headmaster and Teachers of this school for being so accommodating and for you students for participating. Give yourselves a round of applause."

The Hall rang for minutes with clapping. As it finally quieted down, the Head Judge continued.

"Now on with the awards! First up, our first dance yesterday morning, the Slow Waltz! This prize goes to the graceful competitors from Beauxbatons!"

The French students clapped wildly as one of their pairs went up to shake hands and collect their trophy. Mira looked at Lavender who was clapping along. Relieved that the Gryffindors weren't mad, Mira turned her attention back up front.

"The Viennese Waltz was the next dance and this was definitely danced wonderfully by the representatives from Durmstrang!"

This continued, with Hannah and Ernie winning a prize for their Foxtrot and Mira and Draco winning the prize for the Quickstep.

Finally, it came time for the part that Mira had been looking forward too. The Latin Dance Awards. She leaned forward in her seat, grinning with anticipation. Lavender and Seamus had danced the Merengue, Mandy and Terry had done the Rhumba, Hannah and Ernie had danced a lovely salsa, and Draco and Mira had done an amazing cha-cha. Mira had wanted to perform their tango, but Draco overruled her, wanting to save it for the showcase that night.

"The winner for yesterday's merengue is Durmstrang!" Called the Head Judge.

"The winner for the rhumba is Durmstrang again!" yelled the second judge over the applause.

"The winner of the salsa is Hogwarts!" shouted the third judge as the Hogwarts students cheered and congratulated their Hufflepuffs.

Once Hannah and Ernie had gone up to collect their prize, the Hall fell silent again. Waiting.

Finally, the Head Judge stepped up again, and started to speak.

"Now, for the last prize, the cha-cha. This was a very hard decision for us judges as both couples performed beautifully. But as we had to come to a decision, we now award the final prize, to HOGWARTS!"

The Hall once again erupted in applause, the Hogwarts section being the loudest. Draco grinned and stood up, pulling Mira with him. As they came back down after collecting their prize, the other students crowded around them, congratulating them. But Draco ignored them all as he swept Mira up, kissing her soundly on the lips. He put her down when Seamus whistled. Mira blushed lightly but didn't protest when Draco continued to hold her close.

...

By the time dinner rolled around, Mira had had enough. They had spent the last few hours mingling with all the other competitors after the award ceremony. While she was happy that they had won the medals, after awhile the repetitive conversations had gotten too boring.

Mira swore that if one more person came up to her and asked how they had managed to beat Durmstrang's couple, she would strangle them. And to make matters worse, it looked like Draco didn't mind the attention at all. To Mira at least, it looked like he was practically basking in it all!

Mira turned towards her fiancé to ask him if he wanted to go back to start getting ready for the ball in two hours. She huffed with annoyance when she found him missing. No doubt he was off somewhere having fun, without her.

So she decided that she would go alone to prepare for the ball. After all, if he wanted to do something without her, let him!

...

Draco had been ecstatic that they had won the coveted medal and was thoroughly enjoying himself in the mingling afterwards. The love of his life was by his side and they had just won a trophy. What could be better? He turned to answer a question posed by a younger Beauxbatons student and inadvertently got pulled away from the circle of familiar faces. By the time he had finished answering the complicated question about the different styles of dance he had recently studied, he found himself in a dark corridor behind the Great Hall. He looked around in confusion before shrugging his shoulders and looking around for the Great Hall. He was quite surprised then, when ropes came out of nowhere, binding him up. He struggled for a few minutes before falling back. The spell would wear off eventually, and until then, all he could do was wait.

He knew Mira could handle herself and that the spell would definitely be gone by the time the ball started. After all, it was surely just some prank, right?

...

a

Mira stomped through the crowd and back up to her dorm. Or tried to stomp back up to her dorm. As she stormed down the silent halls, she thought darkly about Draco. _How dare he just leave me there! Does he think I didn't see him looking at those French girls? Arg! The nerve!_

Her thoughts were cut off abruptly when a hand shot out from a connecting corridor and grabbed her, pulling her in.

She screamed but was quickly cut off by a large hand. She heard a muffled curse being muttered before it hit her. She kicked back once before darkness overtook her.

**Another cliffhanger! I hope to update soon so as not to keep my readers in **_**too**_** much suspense. This chapter is a bit shorter than my other ones, it was a very difficult one to write. Reviews are, as always, welcome.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	12. First Disappearance

Sorry to take so long to update this, I have been caught up in a whirlwind here

**Sorry to take so long to update this, I have been caught up in a whirlwind here. What with the Olympics (saw 31 live events!) and all the guests, visiting India, and starting school again, life has been pretty hectic.**

**But here is the next installment of **_**The Young Grytherin**_**! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimers: I do not own any characters except Mira and I own only the plot.**

**Also, this chapter (as with most others) is un-betaed.**

Mira slowly swam back to wakefulness as the blinding light in her eyes dispelled the aftereffects of the stunner spell she had been hit with.

Immediately she noticed that she had been tied up, gagged, and had quite a few bruises, though from what she could only guess.

_Great._ She thought sarcastically, _this looks promising._

Gathering her resolve, she cast her senses, both magical and physical around to see if she could locate her wand.

_Wait, is that it? Nope. That's some random twig. That? No again! Merlin help me! Where is the goddamn thing?! Oh wait. There it is! My wand-holster where I put it after the performance! Can't believe I forgot about that. Well let's see. Draco placed a charm on it with will release the wand upon recognizing my vocal command. Great. Now I need to be able to make a vocal command._

So Mira set about attempting to remove the gag enough to speak clearly.

"Ac—ak! This is disgusting! What did they use? A dirty sock?!" She yelled, albeit in a muffled voice.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A little baby princess, all alone. Whatever shall we do with such a precious specimen?" Cooed a sickly sweet and surprisingly male voice from the doorway, which had gone unnoticed by Mira.

She instantly froze and whipped her head towards the voice. And grimaced when she saw a Durmstrang student, only a few years (if any) older than her.

The boy laughed and smirked at her expense.

"I'm sure her father will pay a pretty penny to get this lovely girl back, as would her _amazingly_ influential boyfriend. A few thousand galleons perhaps? A few million even?"

Mira rolled her eyes and waited. She knew that her father and fiancé would do _anything_ to free her. She just hoped that whatever they did, they could live with afterwards.

_That is, however_ she thought to herself. _If they actually have to rescue me. There! Gag is officially not working._

With an internal smirk, she whispered the command to her wand. Once she could feel the resilient wood in her palm, she gave another whispered command and felt the ropes holding her fall off. Before her inept captor could get his wand out, she sent a silent but deadly stunner at him before taking off through the doors.

_That was easy enough. Now lets see. Where am I? Probably still in the castle. The Dining Hall sounds like a good choice. Now to find it._

Mira began quietly stalking the halls, keeping alert for any signs of movement or signs of the Dining Hall.

Meanwhile, Draco had finally gotten free and gone back to the Dining Hall, only to miss Mira.

_Where is she?_ He wondered. _She probably went back to her dorm, it is rather late._ Draco mused as he walked briskly towards the Hogwarts quarters.

He knocked on the door of his dorm before opening it and seeing nothing. Frowning, Draco went across the hall to the girls' dorm. None of the girls had seen her in hours and Draco was becoming increasingly worried.

He knocked on the last door and found Professor's Snape's suite conspicuously empty. Stepping out into the corridor, he realized a scary truth.

Mira was missing.

He collapsed against the wall, desperately trying not to cry.

Mira, his Mira, was gone.

Unconsciously, his hand reached for his Slytherin class ring.

Draco started twisting the band while his mind raced out to try and find Mira's.

_Mira! Mira! Oh Merlin, Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira! Mira..._

He called over and over, hoping against hope, for a reply.

Finally, he got one.

_Draco! Merlin Draco! Where are you?_

Unbeknownst to them both, they were separated by only a few walls. Mira had become lost in a maze of hallways that made up Durmstrang. Finally, out of desperation, she remembered her ring. Frantically, she twisted it and immediately was assaulted by Draco's broken cries.

He heard Mira's voice in his head suddenly and he shot up against the wall leaning against it carefully.

_Mira! Merlin love! Where are you? I'm outside the dorms. What the bloody hell happened?_ Draco almost screamed.

_Calm down Draco._ Came Mira's reply, _I'm fine. Though I'm lost in Durmstrang. Can you help?_

Draco nodded and quickly drew his wand and cast a spell on his ring. The spell made the link between the bonded pair visible.

To Mira, it looked as if a long silver rope had just grown out of her engagement ring. Blinking with surprise, she questioned Draco.

_Draco? What just happened? Did you do that, or was that something else? There is this glittering silver string attached to my ring. Is that supposed to happen?_

Draco grinned. _Yes love. That is the connection between our rings. I'm on the other end of the string. Follow it to me._

He started walking quickly along the corridor and around the corner, following the strand of magic. So absorbed was he that Draco unwittingly ran straight into someone, or something.

"What? Mira!" He cried as he grabbed his fiancé off of the floor and pulled her into his arms.

Wrapping himself around her tightly, so that there was no space between their bodies, he hugged her close and wouldn't let go.

_Merlin Mira! Don't ever do that again please! I was absolutely terrified._

He mind-whispered as a few stray tears leaked out of his eyes into her dark wavy hair beneath him.

Mira made no reply, just clung fast to him as her own frightened tears finally surfaced and began to trail down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry Draco. I didn't mean to." She murmured into his chest.

"It's alright love, I didn't mean to make you cry. Hush now Mira, stop crying. You know I hate it when you cry."

Mira laughed slightly and tried her eyes. She looked up into her fiancé's silver orbs and smiled.

Draco grinned happily and bent down for a gentle, loving kiss.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

**Sorry I took so long to update and hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Thanks and please review! **


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